Entrepreneur + Canon: Project Grow Challenge Contest for Small Businesses in USA and D.C for a Chance to Win $25,000: Submit Your Short Essay Before 11:59:59 PM ET on Sept.15, 2015

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NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

The Project Growth Challenge (“Contest”) ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on September 15, 2015.

The Contest is subject to all federal, state and local laws and regulations.
Limit of one (1) registration form (“Entry Form”), and, if you are selected as a Finalist, one (1) Contest Video, per person, per email address, and per business throughout the Contest Entry Period.

A Big Reward for Your Small Business

Entrepreneur and Canon USA are looking to recognize three entrepreneurs who can demonstrate how winning this funding will help them increase business productivity. Tell us how $25,000 will help expand your current business initiatives — it can be anything from serving more customers, improving operations, incorporating new technology, hiring support, creating brand awareness or anything else that you believe will take your company to the next level.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/project-grow-challenge/apply

Eligibility. The Contest is open to any individual, who:

(a) as of the entry date and continuously thereafter for the duration of the Contest, is a legal resident of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia;
(b) as of the entry date, is eighteen (18) years of age or older; and
(c) as of the entry date and continuously thereafter for the duration of the Contest, is the sole owner or, in the case of multiple owners, is the owner of at least fifty percent (50%), of a business, (i) with headquarters within the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia, and (ii) which is, and has been for at least two (2) years, actively engaged in marketing and selling goods and/or services, as evidenced in part by a “live” and periodically-updated website and social media accounts containing current contact and other information about the business and its products/services, (iii) which was created as a startup and not the result of a “spin-off” from a pre-existing business and during its existence was never an affiliate of any other EMI or business, and (iv) as of the entry date and continuously thereafter for the duration of the Contest has not employed more than 12 paid fulltime employees.

Prizes

The following cash prizes will be awarded to the Grand Prize Winner and two (2) Runners-Up (collectively, the “Winners”) by CANON for use as funding for growing and promoting his or her business:

(a) $25,000.00 to the Grand Prize Winner;
(b) $15,000.00 to the First Runner-Up; and
(c) $10,000.00 to the Second Runner-Up.
Each of the Winners, together with a guest, will also be invited to attend, and in order to qualify for the cash prizes must attend, the Awards Ceremony, at which he/she will be honored and after which EMI will deliver to each of the Winners his/her cash prize. In addition to the above cash prizes and in order for each Winner to attend the Awards Ceremony, EMI will provide the Winner and a guest (subject to the guest’s execution of a release provided by Sponsor) with the following expense-paid transportation and accommodations: (i) roundtrip coach airline transportation between the major airport closest to the Winner’s residence and Los Angeles International Airport, provided that the Winner’s residence is outside of Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California; (ii) two (2) nights’ hotel accommodations (double occupancy) within the Long Beach area; and (iii) transportation between Los Angeles International Airport and hotel accommodations in the Long Beach area and between such hotel accommodations and the site of the Awards Ceremony.
The approximate retail value (“ARV”) of all prizes, including both cash prizes and expense-paid transportation/accommodations to attend the Awards Ceremony, is $57,200.

Judging:

Selection by the Panel of Judges of the Finalists and the Winner-Designates shall be based on information contained in each eligible Contestant’s Entry Form, and, in the case of the Finalists, the originality and creativity of the Contest Videos in relation to explaining how winning the Contest would help you grow your business by increasing productivity and consumer awareness, while improving efficiency by reducing or controlling operating expenses, both in terms of substance and presentation. The odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible Contest Entries received.
Begins at 12:00:00 Noon ET on September 16, 2015 and ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on October 2, 2015, during which time Sponsor will select from among all eligible Contest Entries, and notify, ten (10) Finalists.
Ten (10) Finalists will be selected by members of Sponsor’s Editorial and Marketing Departments (“Panel of Judges”) from among all eligible Entry Forms submitted, and will be contacted by Sponsor via e-mail. To be considered for possible selection as the Grand Prize Winner or First or Second Runner-Up, each Finalist must provide a Contest Video as described at http://www.entrepreneur.com/project-grow-challenge/rules .
THE CONTEST VIDEOS MUST BE RECEIVED BY SPONSOR BY NO LATER THAN 11:59:59 PM ET ON OCTOBER 23, 2015. Submission of Videos by Finalists:

Begins at 12:00:00 Noon ET on October 3, 2015 and ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on October 23, 2015, during which time each Finalist, in order to be considered for selection as a Winner, will need to prepare and submit to Sponsor a video about his/her business as described below and from which a Grand Prize Winner and two (2) Runners-Up will be selected;
Winner-Designates Selected and Notified: By November 4, 2015; and

Grand Prize Winner and Runners-Up Announced: By December 15, 2015.

Entry

To enter, go to entrepreneur.com/projectgrowchallenge (the “Contest Website”) during the Contest Entry Period to gain access to the Contest entry form.
On the landing page, you will then need to click the button prompting you to enter the Contest.
You will then be directed to a registration form, which YOU will need to complete by entering certain information, including: (i) your full name, birth date, and email address, (ii) your business name, street address (no P.O boxes) and telephone number, (iii) percentage of your ownership interest in the business, (v) the year your business was started, (vi) a description of products/services offered by your business, (vii) the URL of your business’ website; and (viii) how YOU would like to take your business to the next level in terms of increasing consumer awareness and productivity while controlling costs.
If you are selected as a Finalist, youwill then be asked prepare and upload a video via PC, mobile device or YouTube URL, in which you will explain how winning the Contest would help you grow your business by increasing productivity and consumer awareness, while improving efficiency by reducing or controlling operating expenses (“Contest Video”).

…Except to the extent otherwise provided herein, all information contained in the Contest Videos submitted hereunder shall at all times be deemed confidential information and protected from unauthorized disclosure by Sponsor. All Contest Videos submitted to Sponsor shall become the exclusive property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned…

CONTESTANT WARRANTIES AND CONSENTS. By completing and submitting an Entry Form, YOU…consent to the irrevocable use in perpetuity by Sponsor, CANON, and their respective affiliates, of your name and/or likeness and any information provided hereunder to Sponsor, for promotional purposes (whether in print, online or in any other media now known or hereafter developed), without further notice or additional compensation and unless prohibited by applicable law…

OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES. By submitting a Contest Entry, including Contest Video if you are selected as a Finalist, or essay, YOU agree to be bound by the Official Rules and to grant Sponsor and/or Presenter an exclusive, fully paid-up and royalty-free, worldwide license to use, modify, delete from, add to, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce and translate all of any part of your Contest Entry, including without limitation the right to distribute all or any part thereof in any and all media, media channels and formats now known or later developed. By submitting a Contest Entry, YOU also consent to the use, by Sponsor and/or Presenter, and their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, parents, and licensees, of your name, likeness, and image, in connection with the Contest and the related marketing activities of Sponsor and/or Presenter, in any media or format now known or hereafter developed, in any and all locations, and without any payment to or further approval from YOU. YOU also agree that this consent is perpetual and cannot be revoked. If YOU are the Grand Prize Winner or either of the two (2) Runners-Up, YOU further agree to make yourself available during a period of not more than twelve (12) months following the conclusion of the Contest for possible contact by Sponsor and/or Presenter regarding your business as identified in the Contest….

Please read the full Official Rules at http://www.entrepreneur.com/project-grow-challenge/rules .

Good Luck!

PRESS RELEASE

Entrepreneur and Canon’s Project Grow Challenge Gives Small Businesses a Big Boost to Help Their Bottom Lines

One Grand Prize Winner Will Receive $25,000 to Execute Business Productivity Plans

IRVINE, Calif. July 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Entrepreneur magazine has partnered with Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, on the Project Grow Challenge—a rare opportunity for small business owners to win $25,000 to implement a growth plan for a strategic area of their companies. From now until September 15, small business owners are invited to submit a short essay that explains how winning the grand prize would take their businesses to the next level in terms of increasing consumer awareness and productivity while controlling costs.

“As supporters of the small business community, we are thrilled to reward three hard-working entrepreneurs who have distinct plans for their companies to achieve productivity and efficiency goals,” says Ray Hennessey, editorial director of Entrepreneur.com. “Whether it is purchasing new technology for better sales metrics analysis or overhauling a payroll system to improve efficiency, the proposed projects should grow business in a tangible way.”

A panel of judges will review entries and choose 10 finalists by October 2. The selected finalists will try and win the judges over with their creativity, by describing their businesses and demonstrating their plans for growth in an original short video. From these videos, one grand prize winner will be selected, as well as a first runner-up, who will win $15,000 and a second runner-up, who will win $10,000.

“We are very happy to be working with Entrepreneur to further support the small business community,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “Our hope is that the Project Grow Challenge will motivate small business owners to take their ventures to the next level by fueling growth in creative ways.”

The Project Grow Challenge winners will be recognized on December 15 at Entrepreneur’s Growth Conference in Long Beach, California. To read the official rules and learn more about the Project Grow Challenge, please visit: entrepreneur.com/projectgrowchallenge.

About Entrepreneur Media Inc.
Entrepreneur Media Inc. is the premier content provider for and about entrepreneurs. Our products engage and inspire every day with the advice, solutions and resources that fuel the bold and independent way entrepreneurs think.

After 38 years, nobody reaches more growing businesses. As the original magazine for the small and midsize business community, Entrepreneur continues to be the definitive guide to all the diverse challenges of business ownership. Entrepreneur.com is the most widely used website by entrepreneurs and emerging businesses worldwide. Entrepreneur Press publishes the books that turn entrepreneurial skills into business success.

To learn more, visit entrepreneur.com.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean (excluding Mexico) markets. With approximately $31 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc., ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2014† and is one of Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies in 2015. In 2014, Canon U.S.A. has received the PCMag.com Readers’ Choice Award for Service and Reliability in the digital camera and printer categories for the 11th consecutive year. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2014, the Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEED® Gold certification, a recognition for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance green buildings. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA. For media inquiries, please contact pr@cusa.canon.com.

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